AZ-305 Design data storage solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design data storage solutions. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company needs to store audit logs for 7 years to meet compliance requirements. The logs are generated at a high volume and must be cost-effective. They need to run occasional queries on recent logs (less than 30 days old) but rarely on older ones. Which Azure storage solution should they recommend?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Azure Blob Storage with lifecycle management to Archive tier
Azure Blob Storage with lifecycle management to the Archive tier is the correct solution because it provides a cost-effective storage hierarchy for high-volume audit logs. Lifecycle management can automatically move logs from the Hot or Cool tier to the Archive tier after 30 days, aligning with the requirement to keep recent logs queryable while minimizing costs for older logs that are rarely accessed. The Archive tier offers the lowest storage cost, making it ideal for 7-year retention of audit data.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Azure Blob Storage with lifecycle management to Archive tier
Why this is correct
Correct. Blob Storage provides tiers (Hot, Cool, Archive) and automatic lifecycle management for cost-efficient long-term retention.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Azure SQL Database
Why it's wrong here
SQL Database is expensive for high-volume log storage and not designed for archival.
✗
Azure Cosmos DB
Why it's wrong here
Cosmos DB is optimized for transactional workloads with high RU cost; not cost-effective for log archival.
✗
Azure Log Analytics
Why it's wrong here
Log Analytics retention is limited; extended retention beyond 2 years is costly and Archive tier not available.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose Azure Log Analytics (Option D) because it is associated with logs, but they overlook its retention limits and high cost for long-term storage, failing to recognize that Azure Blob Storage with lifecycle management is the correct archival solution for compliance-driven retention.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Blob Storage lifecycle management uses rules based on the 'Last Modified' or 'Creation Time' property to transition blobs between tiers (Hot, Cool, Cold, Archive) or delete them. The Archive tier has a 180-day minimum retention policy for blobs moved from Cool or Cold tiers, but this is acceptable for 7-year retention. For querying older logs, you can rehydrate blobs from Archive to Hot or Cool tier, which can take up to 15 hours for standard priority, so this is suitable only for rare access scenarios.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-305 question in full detail.
Design data storage solutions — This question tests Design data storage solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Blob Storage with lifecycle management to Archive tier — Azure Blob Storage with lifecycle management to the Archive tier is the correct solution because it provides a cost-effective storage hierarchy for high-volume audit logs. Lifecycle management can automatically move logs from the Hot or Cool tier to the Archive tier after 30 days, aligning with the requirement to keep recent logs queryable while minimizing costs for older logs that are rarely accessed. The Archive tier offers the lowest storage cost, making it ideal for 7-year retention of audit data.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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